Philippines – Coron out of town, Coron

Like the look of this gym? If you want to stay nearby then you can check out the links to hotels within walking distance at the end of this article.

Review: The longer I spend in Coron, the deeper I fall in love with this place. The day trips that you take from this place are truly some of the most memorable activities that I have ever enjoyed. The colours, the abundance of beautiful sea life and amazing sunny weather mean that every day here feels like some kind of paradise day dream.

The only same is that Coron does not have a beach that is in any way comparable to the places that you go to on the day trips. The only beach that have is kind of sad in comparison. What it means is that there isn’t much to do when you are not on a day trip. Luckily, however I found out that there was a second gym, just outside of Coron Town Proper.

Having jumped in a trike, I made my way past the hospital to the area that I had been told the gym was in. Luckily for me the trike driver knew the gym, as it was one of only two gyms in Coron, and he was able to drop me at the front gates. The gym its self is just inside the gates on the left hand side. You can’t miss it. Its burgundy on the outside and bright purple inside.

This gym here is much bigger than the one in town and much better equipped. In addition to a pretty decent set of free weights this gym also has come basic cardio equipment and good selection of weights machines. There is no air condition or fans here, so be ready to sweat buckets, which is all the more embarrassing because the locals are accustomed to the heat and hardly sweat at all. So bring a sweat towel with you. It is in their “rules”.

This gym has:

Dumbbells to 20kg

Flat barbell bench

Incline barbell bench

Decline barbell bench

Smith machine

Cables

Pull up bar / dips bar

Leg raise platform

Easy bar

Preacher curl bench

T-bar row machine

Shoulder press machine

Lat pulldown

Incline chest press machine

Seated row machine

Leg press machine

Leg curl machine

Leg extension machine

Calf raise machine

Kettle bells

Medicine balls

Push up board

Static bikes

Treadmill

Toilets / changing rooms.

If you are looking for a cardio workout then this really is your only option for a public gym is Coron. Whilst I was there I also saw what looked like group classes going on with several women from the local community laughing and dancing together. Group fitness classes seem to be really popular in the Philippines, and Asia in general. It seems that they are a community activity and a chance for local people to socialise and engage in an activity with their friends.

The gym does have a water fountain, so bring a bottle with you to refill as you workout. The gym also sells a range of supplements, but no protein when I was there. As is common in the Philippines, everything here is sold by the dose, so for example, you could buy amino acid tablets for 10 pesos each (approx £0.15). Grab them while you can!

Who is this gym for? This was the only gym in Coron where I saw women training. Whilst this is very much a local gym, I was made to feel welcome here and chatted to a few of the locals whilst I trained. I would therefore recommend that female travellers looking to workout in Coron train.

Whilst I have found Filipinos to be a warm and friendly bunch, and whilst it is much safer on the islands than in the cities, care should still be taken when walking on your own to or from town which is about 20 mins walk down the hill.

Tips: The gym is about a 5 min trike ride from the centre of Coron town. Just ask for the hospital area. The gym is a little further up down a right hand turn. It is behind the set of gates shown here. If in doubt, just ask one of the locals.